New York State Route 50 (NY 50) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the

Capital District A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any poli ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in

Scotia Scotia is a Latin placename derived from ''Scoti'', a Latin name for the Gaels, first attested in the late 3rd century.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. p.698 The Romans referred to Ireland as "Scotia" around ...

. Its northern terminus is at a junction with

NY 32 New York State Route 32 (NY 32) is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District, New York, Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is a two-lane sur ...

in the Saratoga County hamlet of Gansevoort.

Route description

All but of NY 50 is maintained by the

New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit systems ...

(NYSDOT). The lone locally maintained segment lies within the city of

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

, where the route is city-maintained from the southern boundary of the city's inner district to Van Dam Street, a local street three blocks north of

NY 9N New York State Route 9N (NY 9N) is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York in the United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9), NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga Spr ...

and NY 29.

Scotia to Milton

NY 50 begins at an intersection with NY 5 (Mohawk Avenue) in the village of

in the town of Glenville, just a couple blocks north of the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk ...

. NY 50 winds northeastward through Scotia on North Ballston Avenue, crossing past Collins Lake on a two-lane residential street. Near the Cambridge Manor in Scotia, NY 50 crosses over the

Hudson Subdivision The Amtrak Hudson Line, also known as the CSX Hudson Subdivision, is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation and leased by Amtrak in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs from Poughkeepsie north along the east shore of the Hudson River ...

, owned by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

. Just north of the crossing, the route leaves Scotia and changes names to Ballston Road. At the junction with Swaggertown Road (unsigned County Route 43 or CR 43), NY 50 winds northeast into a junction with Freemans Bridge Road (unsigned NY 911F) in front of

Schenectady County Airport Schenectady County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district of Schenectady, a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States. It is included in the Na ...

. After passing the airport, NY 50 continues northeast through Glenville, now with the Saratoga Road moniker. As the route enters the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of Stoodley Corners, it turns northward, crossing a large commercial development that surrounds the intersection with Glenridge Road (unsigned NY 914V). Leaving Stoodley Corners, NY 50 winds northward through the hamlets of Mayfair and Woodruff Heights, crossing a junction with Charlton Road ( CR 37), the route bends northeast into the hamlet of Harmon Park, a small community in Glenville. After a junction with High Mills Road ( CR 33), NY 50 crosses the line from

Schenectady County Schenectady County () is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,061. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk language word meaning "on the other side of the pine lands," a ter ...

to Saratoga County. NY 50 in Glenville

Now in the town of Ballston, NY 50 retains the Saratoga Road moniker, crossing northeast into the hamlet of Burnt Hills. In the center of Burnt Hills, NY 50 intersects with CR 58 (Lake Hill Road) and CR 339 (Lake Hill Road), which once served as the western terminus of NY 339. Continuing northeast out of Burnt Hills, NY 50 crosses a junction with CR 110 (Kingsley Road). At a junction with Larkin Road, NY 50 turns northward, reaching a junction with the northern terminus of NY 146A (Midline Road). Continuing northwest through Ballston, the route remains a two-lane residential roadway, soon turning north near a junction with Charlton Road. NY 50 winds northward through Ballston, crossing the Mourning Kill, and a junction with CR 60 (Brookline Road) . The route winds northeast, reaching a junction with NY 67. At this junction, NY 50 and NY 67 become concurrent, dropping the Saratoga Road moniker, changing names to Church Avenue. Now entering a developed section of the town of Ballston, NY 50 and NY 67 crosses into the village of Ballston Spa, located in both the towns of Ballston and Milton. At the center of the village, NY 67 turns west away from NY 50 along West High Street, while NY 50 continues north through the village on Milton Avenue. A short distance later, the route forks to the northwest off Milton Avenue, changing names to Doubleday Avenue, exiting the village.

Milton to Gansevoort

NY 50 crosses northeast through Milton as Doubleday Avenue, crossing a junction with CR 64 (North Line Road). Just north of this junction, the route crosses into the city of

, changing names to Ballston Avenue. Passing

Saratoga Spa State Park Saratoga Spa State Park is a state park located in Saratoga County, New York, Saratoga County, New York (state), New York in the United States. The park is in the Saratoga Springs, New York, City of Saratoga Springs, near U.S. Route 9 in New York ...

, NY 50 parallels a railroad line before crossing over it within the park. At this point, NY 50 becomes a four-lane boulevard next to the Saratoga Spa State Park, crossing multiple at-grade junctions, including one with CR 43 (Geyser Road). Returning to its two-lane alignment, NY 50 winds northeast through Saratoga Springs, entering downtown as Ballston Avenue. Through the area south of downtown, the route is a two-lane commercial street, bending northeast into the junction with US 9 (South Broadway). Broadway day scene

Now in the center of Saratoga Springs, US 9 and NY 50 become concurrent, proceeding north into the core of downtown as Broadway past Congress Park and a junction with the northern terminus of NY 9P (Spring Street). A block north of the junction, US 9 and NY 50 junction with NY 29 (Washington Street). US 9, NY 29 and NY 50 now are concurrent through the center of Saratoga Springs, reaching a junction with the southern terminus of

(Church Street), where NY 29 also turns east onto Lake Avenue. US 9 and NY 50 continue north through downtown, reaching the junction with Van Dam Street, where the routes turn northeast onto the C.V. Whitney Memorial Highway, a four-lane boulevard through Saratoga Springs. At the junction with Marion Avenue, US 9 continues north on Marion while NY 50 continues east on the Whitney. NY 50 soon bends towards the east, passing along the southern shore of Loughberry Lake and into an interchange with the

Adirondack Northway Interstate 87 (I-87) is a north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of New York. It is most of the main highway between New York City and Montreal. The highway begins at exit 47 off I-278 in the New York ...

(I-87 exit 15). Now in the town of Wilton, NY 50 then reaches the northern terminus of Weibel Avenue, which is also designated as NY 29 Truck. The route enters the main commercial area of Wilton, passing the Wilton Mall at Saratoga before narrowing to a two-lane rural road proceeding northeast through Wilton. Beginning a parallel of the Meadow Brook, NY 50 crosses a junction with the western terminus of CR 39 (King Road). Passing south of the hamlet of Ballard Corners, NY 50 junctions with CR 33 (Ballard Road), becoming a residential road as it leaves Wilton. After leaving Wilton, NY 50 crosses into the town of

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

. Through Northumberland, NY 50 winds northeast through town, remaining a two-lane residential street before turning northwest at Rice Brook. A short distance later, NY 50 enters the hamlet of Gansevoort, where it reaches a junction with

(Schuylerville Road). This intersection, located in front of Bertha E. Smith Park, marks the northern terminus of NY 50.

History

When the first set of posted routes in

were assigned in 1924, the portion of modern NY 50 south of

was designated as part of

NY 10 New York State Route 10 (NY 10) is a north–south state highway in the Central New York and North Country regions of New York in the United States. It extends for from the Quickway ( NY 17) (Future Interstate 86) in Deposit, ...

, a north–south highway extending from the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

state line near

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to Saranac Lake via Albany and Saratoga Springs. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 10 was realigned south of Long Lake to pass west of the

on its way to the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...

. The old alignment of NY 10 between

and Saratoga Springs became part of the new NY 50, which continued north to Gansevoort along a previously unnumbered roadway.''Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book'', 1930–31 and 1931–32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930–31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering By 1947, Erie Boulevard, Maxon Road, and Freemans Bridge Road were collectively designated as a spur of NY 50. As a result, the NY 50 designation effectively split in Glenville, with the west branch continuing south to Scotia and the east branch continuing southeast to NY 5 in

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. The east branch was removed from maps at some point between 1958 and 1962; however, it was redesignated as a

special route In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the In ...

of NY 50 by 1968. While maps drawn by

General Drafting General Drafting Corporation of Convent Station, New Jersey, founded by Otto G. Lindberg in 1909, was one of the "Big Three" road map publishers in the United States from 1930 to 1970, along with H.M. Gousha and Rand McNally Rand McNally is a ...

labeled the route as "NY 50 Alternate", maps drawn by the H.M. Gousha Company labeled it as "NY 50 Spur". The special route was eliminated at some point in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The portion from Nott Street north to NY 50 remains state-maintained as NY 911F, an unsigned reference route.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:New York State Route 050 050 Transportation in Schenectady County, New York Transportation in Saratoga County, New York